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Residents of Piedimonte Etneo sweeping ashes
Photo: ANTONIO PARRINELLO / REUTERS
Researchers had not recorded any activity for a good month, but now the Etna volcano has erupted again on the Italian island of Sicily.
The national institute for geophysics and volcanology (INGV) announced on Saturday that increased activity was measured in the early morning hours.
It posted photos on Twitter showing lava and ash seeping out of the crater on the south-east side.
The gray column of smoke rose far into the sky.
There were initially no reports of major damage, in some cases there were reports of ash raining down.
The INGV also described the current outbreak in more detail and with up-to-date photos on its website.
Videos of the current outbreak are circulating on Twitter.
Etna, which is more than 3350 meters high, has been very active so far this year.
Since mid-February it broke out regularly and sometimes spectacularly.
The ash raining down is often a problem for people in the area, and the airport in the city of Catania at the foot of Mount Etna had to temporarily shut down in the past because the runway was dirty.
The Sicilian government pledged two million euros in aid to the municipalities in September for the ash damage.
The Coldiretti Agricultural Association spoke on Saturday that the "nightmare" was returning to the Sicilian fields.
The ashes cause damage to the cultivated areas.
Farmers need support.
The cleaning of the fields takes time, water and thus massive labor input at unacceptable costs.
Volcanic eruption on La Palma became a disaster
Most recently, a volcanic eruption hit the Spanish holiday island of La Palma hard.
Thousands of people have already had to be brought to safety on the Canary Island because the volcano there has been spewing lava and ash for over a month.
Many of them will never be able to return to their homes destroyed and buried by the lava.
Since the volcano on the Cumbre Vieja mountain range became active again on September 19 for the first time in 50 years, the lava has already destroyed 2,185 buildings.
mmq / dpa